Elkton, Virginia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elkton (formerly Conrad's Store) is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,042 at the 2000 census. Elkton was named for the Elk Run stream. The town has a team in the Rockingham County Baseball League called the Blue Sox.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Education
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Elkton is located at 38°24′30″N, 78°37′13″W (38.408298, -78.620321)^GR1. It is located on the northeast portion of Rockingham County, Virginia. Elkton is bordered by Page County to the north, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, the Massanutten Mountain range to the west, and the Merck manufacturing plant and Coors distribution center to the south. The Norfolk and Western Railroad, Route 33, and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River all cut through the town. The general area is agricultural, filled with farm lands and rural scenes.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²). 3.5 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.43%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,042 people, 862 households, and 555 families residing in the town. The population density was 575.5/km² (1,485.4/mi²). There were 919 housing units at an average density of 259.0/km² (668.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.49% White, 2.74% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.

Major ancestry groups reported by Elkton residents include: German - 19% English - 10% Irish - 8% Scotch-Irish - 6% Dutch - 3% Black or African American - 3% Scottish - 3% French (except Basque) - 2% Norwegian - 1% Welsh - 1% Other Hispanic or Latino - 1% Polish - 1% Italian - 1% European - 1% American Indian tribes, specified - 1%

Elkton Ancestry & family history

There were 862 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,556, and the median income for a family was $41,500. Males had a median income of $30,032 versus $21,996 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,192. About 4.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Conrad's Store was a general store built by George Conrad in 1785. The Elkton area was first identified by the store during the United States Civil War. In 1816 through 1866, the United States Post Office was located in Conrad's Store. Another important building in the town's history is the Jennings House. Built in 1840 by Dr. Samuel B. Jennings, the house was transformed into a hospital during the Civil War. In the present day, Jennings House has been converted yet again to house the local government. The town Christmas tree can be found across the street from the house. Located on Rockingham Street, the Miller-Kite House was the headquarters of General Stonewall Jackson at the start of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign during the Civil War. Now the house is a town landmark and museum, housing many items from the war and some of Jackson's personal belongings. In one of the second-story windows a cardboard cutout of the General watches the street. Many visitors report stories of ghosts or unusual behavior while in the house.

[edit] Education

Elkton houses two public schools: Elkton Elementary School and Elkton Middle School. Elkton Elementary School was built in 1938 on West B Street to house Elkton High School, but its role changed when a new school was built. Elkton Middle School was originally Elkton High School, built in 1957 primarily for grades eight through twelve. Eventually grade seven was moved from the elementary school to the high school. Additions were built to the high school in 1967, building a ten-room annex for more classes; and the elementary school in 1972, replacing part of the original building. In 1980, a new high school, Spotswood Senior High School (now Spotswood High School), was built for East Rockingham County, Virginia, combining Montevideo and Elkton High Schools. The new school, located in Penn Laird, Virginia and literally on the Massanutten Mountain, housed grades 10-12. Ninth grade was added for the 1984-85 school year. Elkton Elementary School then housed a new grade--Kindergarten--through fifth grades. Elkton Middle had grades 6-9. Over the years, Elkton Elementary added programs such as Head Start for preschoolers. In the 1990s a baseball field, used for Elkton softball teams, was built next to the middle school. In the late 1990s, renovations were done to Elkton Elementary School, as a new playground was built specifically for the lower grades. In 2001, more construction took place as the old playground, with original wooden trucks and sharp metal edges, were ripped out, replaced by softer and brighter rounded metallic structures. In 2005, more renovations were done to Elkton Middle School, such as changing the old band room into an addition to the cafeteria, building a new computer lab, and adding another gym separate from the main for public use, such as the Elkton Recreation League Basketball teams. Elkton Elementary School currently has six grades and numerous additional programs, such as Challenge (an organization where students are tested and the best and brightest are literally challenged and taught certain topics, i.e. the Mayan number system or a detailed description of the Chesapeake Bay), Head Start, and Speech Therapy. Elkton Middle School houses three grades and has extracurricular activities such as EMS Track, Girls and Boys 7th and 8th grade Basketball teams, 8th grade Cheerleading (by audition), and an annual talent show.

Controversy arose in 2006 when students with a McGaheysville address--more specifically, students from the Massanutten area--started to be transferred to Elkton schools due to overcrowding at McGaheysville Elementary School and Montevideo Middle School. Resistance to the redistricting highlighted the rift between the more affluent Massanutten population and the more rural Elkton, as well as perceived differences in quality between the state-accredited Montevideo M.S. and non-accredited Elkton M.S. The County Board of Education is planning a new high school for the eastern Rockingham area, and its location will be within the 22827 zip code, officials say. The addition of another high school to the Elkton area will most likely cause further redistricting to balance attendance among the schools in the system.